Those Scars We Carry
by V. Sourweather
Summary: "We all have scars." A series of OS on the theme of scars. 1rst OS: Lavender Brown; 2nd OS: George Weasley; 3rd OS: Teddy Lupin; 4th OS: Harry Potter; 5th OS: Ginny Weasley; 6th OS: Remus Lupin; 7th OS: Bill Weasley. COMPLETE
1. Lavender Brown

**Hello everyone! I'm already back, this time with a series of short One-Shots (still on _Harry Potter_), dealing with the general theme of scars.**

**The concept: Each OS will talk about another scarred character. There will be stories about different eras, different characters, different pairings… You can expect (I think) an OS per day.**

**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JK Rowling, and nothing is mine. I don't make any money out of this story.**

.:.

**Rating of this OS:**** K+, it's rather soft**

* * *

**_Those Scars We Carry:_ Lavender Brown**

_We all have scars_, Lavender thinks. _Mine are just more visible than others._ She needs to remind herself of that, because they won't ever disappear and she'll have to live with them forever.

She looks at herself in the mirror she used to carry everywhere with her. Her scars are not red anymore, she notices. They have turned to pink. But they still cover her shoulders, and she knows they disappear down her back.

She sighs. It's the first day of school of the year (she has come back for a proper last year, she doesn't even know why she bothered anymore) and so she puts on her Hogwarts uniform. She adjusts the collar so that her scars are no longer visible, and then walks out of the Gryffindor dorm, thinking about how unfair it is that it could have been repaired so fast, when she can never be.

* * *

When she arrives in her Transfiguration class, she feels like all the students there for the first lesson of their seventh year are staring at her. She flinches a little, but then she sees Parvati, smiling at her. There's a free seat next to hers, and she takes it without even asking herself if her friend was actually waiting for someone else. She's grateful when Parvati just smiles at her and says, "You look beautiful today, Lavender."

And she believes her, because she's her friend and why would she lie to her? That's when she realizes that's _exactly_ why she would, and she has to force a smile on her lips, fidgeting in her seat.

* * *

She wishes she could just skip lunch like she had skipped breakfast, but she can't. She walks in just behind a group of other students, lagging behind them; she doesn't want to be alone when she arrives in the Great Hall.

She doesn't sit next to Parvati this time. She doesn't want to hear her false compliments. So she takes a seat between Seamus and Ron, and both look at her with a smile on their lips.

"How you doing?" Seamus asks her, and she laughs, surprised. How does he think she is doing?

"I'm fine," she answers anyway, and he nods, before turning his attention back to his meal.

It's awkward, of course, but she can almost believe he cares, giving his attitude. And she tries to get a conversation going. She asks him, "Are you okay too?"

"Better than some," he answers shortly.

And she knows who he's talking about: the Weasleys, Dennis Creevey, Harry even… And her. She nods, just like he had a few seconds ago. Maybe she should have asked something else…

"You looked beautiful this morning," he suddenly blurts out, and her eyes widen.

She stays silent and has a half mind to walk away, but she chooses to answer, "You don't have to say this to make me feel better, Seamus."

"I meant it. You looked fierce. Determined. Like you weren't scared of the scars."

And this time, she believes him. And she smiles. It's the first time anyone, besides the doctors she's seen, has referred to her scars as what they are: _scars_.

* * *

**I hoped you enjoyed this! :)**


	2. George Weasley

**Another character for today: George Weasley! I really enjoyed writing this (even if it almost made me cry at times), so I hope you'll enjoy reading it too! :)**

**Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me, everything belongs to J.K. Rowling. I don't make any money out of this story.**

**.:.**

**Rating of this OS: K+, it's very soft too**

* * *

**_Those Scars We Carry: _George Weasley**

He remembers everything. Too vividly, perhaps. He remembers how they used to laugh and joke and _do_ things together, things he'll never be able to do again. Because he's alone now. He feels alone, even if his family is here by his side. Angelina is there too, but none of them really _understands_.

Fred, his brother, his _twin_, is just gone, and none of them can change it. And the fact that he still thinks he sees him sometimes doesn't make him feel better. It makes him feel worse, _so much worse_.

He snaps out of it when he hears his door-bell ring. He's moved out of the Burrow after the war, because he needed to be somewhere new, somewhere Fred didn't live a life cut short. He still comes to visit a lot, though. At least once a week. And he thinks it's either his parents, either one of his siblings at his door right now. But when he opens it, he sees Angelina.

She smiles at him, brightly, and he smiles back. And he lets her in.

"I came to give you these," she says, and perhaps she's a bit too enthusiastic, but he doesn't care. She hands him the flowers and he takes them, shaking his head.

"You didn't have to," he tries to scold her, and fails miserably. It's actually incredibly touching, everything she does for him.

"I know that, George!" She pauses, and then continues, "So… It's been a month since I came here. What's changed?"

She seems really curious, and he's honest in return. "Nothing," he answers. It's true; nothing's changed. He's still alone, it's the exact same furniture that decorates his apartment… Nothing's changed, really.

Angelina looks at him and frowns. And then she says, "Have you seen Dennis Creevey since the battle?"

The question is completely unexpected, and he's frowning too now. "No, why?"

"He's lost his brother too. Colin Creevey. Maybe talking to him will help."

He feels sorry for Dennis. He knew Colin, not a lot (they didn't talk to each other outside of the DA sessions), but enough to know that he was a true Gryffindor. Engaging himself in Dumbledore's Army, fighting in the Battle of Hogwarts… He was a true Gryffindor and he died. He died for a good cause, but he died anyway.

He lowers his head and stays silent as the scar in his heart reopens, and his heart bleeds a little more. But he doesn't cry, he never does. He just stays there, waiting for Angelina to go away. But she doesn't. She just puts a hand on his shoulder, puts her arms around him and whispers in his ear, "We all have scars, George. You have to talk about yours, if you want it to heal. You don't have to talk to me, or your family, but talk to _someone_."

And when she lets go, he knows he will.

* * *

A few months later, when he comes back to his apartment after a long overdue talk with Dennis, he sees Angelina waiting for him, and she smiles. She immediately guesses, "You've talked to Dennis."

He nods, and jokes, "Brilliant way to say hi, Angie!" It's the first time he has joked since Fred's gone, and he doesn't feel guilty in the slightest.

Maybe she was right. Maybe now, his scar can finally begin to heal. And it does, slowly, over the years, with the help of Dennis, Angelina, his family and his friends.

* * *

He doesn't feel bad when he finally asks the Chaser out. It's been a year and a half since Fred died, and he needs to move on. He really likes Angelina, and he thinks it could turn into more. So he asks her out, and she laughs and says, "I think it's about time you asked!" And there's a cloud passing in her eyes, but he chooses not to care and kisses her instead.

When they marry, a few years later, it's happy, but it's also a homage to Fred. And that's when he knows. He'll never forget, of course, and his scar will never disappear. In fact, he will even name one of his children after his lost brother. He will never forget, but at least now, he's better.

* * *

**Next chapter will be up tomorrow!**


	3. Teddy Lupin

**First, I am sorry for the little delay, but I'm quite overwhelmed with work at university...**

**Another character for today: Teddy Lupin! Just to be clear, I certainly don't hate any of the _HP_ characters, and certainly not James and Lily. I am saying this because there _is_ a sentence / paragraph in this that could make you think otherwise.**

**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling, and I don't make any money out of this story.**

**.:.**

**Rating of this OS: K**

* * *

_**Those Scars We Carry: **_**Teddy Lupin**

He doesn't remember his father, nor his mother. Of course, people tell him about them all the time, tell him how they died to make a better world for him, but it's not the same. It's not _them_. He's glad they died as heroes, but couldn't have they lived? Now, it's like there is a scar in his heart, something missing.

Andromeda looks after him and loves him like a mother, and he considers her as family, but she _isn't_ his mother. He knows he's inherited Nymphadora's Metamorphmagus ability, and he colours his hair pink when he thinks about her. Just her favourite hair colour. It makes him feel closer to her.

Harry tells him he has the eyes of his father. And he feels happy, because now he knows at least one thing about him, something more than the war hero thing. It's bitter though. Every time he looks in the mirror, it's as if his eyes are haunted.

* * *

When he's old enough, Harry tells him his father's last words, and when he hears the "I hope he will understand", tears are suddenly shimmering in his eyes. Because he _does_ understand, and that doesn't make it better at all.

When Harry asks him if he's okay, he just nods and swallows back his tears.

"Do you want to know how I did it?" Harry asks him.

It's visible on his face that he thinks he shouldn't talk to him about this yet, but he does anyway. And Teddy asks him, "How you did what?"

"How I dealt with the death of my parents."

He frowns when he remembers. Lily and James Potter, so famous for sacrificing themselves for their son… Far more famous than his parents anyway. He's sure in a few years, only their closest friends and their family will remember the names of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks.

He shakes his head to gather his thoughts and answers, "You don't have to tell me."

"I went to the cemetery in Godric's Hollow on Christmas. It's where my parents are buried. I was with Hermione, and I think this is the moment when I forgave them for dying and leaving me behind."

When Teddy leaves for Hogwarts, a few weeks later, he's not as miserable as he was before. He knows what he has to do now.

* * *

It's May 2, 2020. He stands in front of the graves of his parents, alone in the cemetery, except for Victoire Weasley who stands by his side.

It's not the first time he has come here, but today is different. Today, Victoire is with him. She has helped him a lot over the years. Probably more than Andromeda ever did. She was, and still is, in a way, too stricken with grief over the loss of her daughter, even after all these years.

He kneels down in the grass and grieves, just like he always do. And Victoire stays by his side the entire time, a hand light on his shoulder and the other in his hair, soothing him silently.

When he stands up, he knows he was right to bring his fiancée with him. He will come here every year, with her if she still wants to, and with time, he'll get better.

* * *

**I hope you liked this! I really enjoyed writing this, but I'm still not sure about it…**


	4. Harry Potter

**Hello! Here I am with a new (very short) story on a new character: Harry Potter. I hope you like this, because I really liked writing it (even though it's surprisingly very short)!**

**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling (the characters, etc...), and nothing belongs to me (sadly). I don't make any money out of this story.**

**.:.**

**Rating of this OS: K+**

* * *

_**Those Scars We Carry:**_** Harry Potter**

The same woman appears in his dream again. He doesn't exactly see her. He just hears her scream and sees this strange green light.

When he wakes up with a start, he wonders if there is something wrong with him. Why does he dream, every single night, of a woman screaming like she was in so much pain? And what is this light he is imagining?

He shakes his head. He doesn't know he actually dreams of his mother, a beautiful and kind young woman who loved him so much that she died for him. He doesn't know that he can't even dream of his father, because he doesn't remember him yet.

* * *

When he learns what happened, what it is he is seeing every night in his dreams, he feels broken. He thinks, _Why did they have to die for me?_ Of course, no one can answer him but them, and he thinks his question will remain unanswered forever.

The next night, he remembers something else. He hears her (he hears his mother) saying, "You are so loved, Harry. Papa and Mama love you. Sirius loves you. And Remus. Hold on to that, live for that. Please, hold on to that. Hold on to us." She sounds anxious, almost like she is crying. But when Harry wakes up, for once, he is calm.

It feels like he gets to know his mother, and like if it goes on this way, soon, he will remember _everything_.

* * *

The first time his scar burns, he knows it's because something is happening. Something that's about the killer of his parents. And hatred runs through him. He tries to remember his mother's kind voice, he tries to control his anger and finally succeeds.

He succeeds in controlling his anger for five years, and finally, during his fifth years, he starts losing control. It isn't that surprising: he has just watched one of his friends die at the orders of the very person that killed his parents, and he has witnessed the return of the Dark Lord who still wants him dead.

In fifth year, the nightmares become unbearable, and he becomes more aggressive. It doesn't do him any good, for once, to remember his parents. It just makes his anger worse and worse, and worse. And then, at the end, when he and his friends battle at the Department of Mysteries and he is possessed by Voldemort after his godfather has died…

Then, he remembers. Everything. How his mother and his father used to take care of him, used to laugh happily together. And this happiness helps him reject the presence of Voldemort, and he just feels _sorry_ for him, in spite of the pain that burns his scar and courses through his body. He feels sorry because he knows now that the Dark Lord will never know any love, or any kind of support like he does.

* * *

The scar on his forehead doesn't hurt him anymore. It's been nineteen years since the fall of Voldemort, and he's now married and happy. He has three children, and though he still feels guilty for all the deaths that he's caused (his parents, and all the victims that fought for his cause in what is now known as the Second Wizarding War), despite everything that's happened… All is well.

* * *

**The next OS will be (if everything goes right) up tomorrow, as I have finished studying for all my exams and writing my essays.**


	5. Ginny Weasley

**Hello everyone! This is probably my favorite thing I've written so far (even if it's so short…), so I hope you enjoy this OS about Ginny and Harry :)**

**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling and nothing belongs to me, as always. I don't make any money out of this story.**

**.:.**

**Rating of this OS: T for non-described sexual situations**

* * *

_**Those Scars We Carry:**_** Ginny Weasley**

She does not leave the war unscathed. There are scars in her soul and scars on her body. The ones on her body will heal with time, she knows it. The one in her soul, on the other hand…

She thinks she should be glad to have made it out at all. Harry is with her again, after all, and she's the closest thing to happy she has been since the end of the war. And then she remembers and she's sad again.

* * *

"Do you miss him?" she asks to Harry once, when she can't keep pretending that nothing happened.

They're in their new home, and she's leaning into him on their couch. He doesn't answer immediately, but when he does, he chooses to be honest, "Probably not as much as you. And you probably don't miss him as much as George."

She nods and lets her tears fall down her cheeks. He brushes them away, and she can feel he tenses when his fingers come across the scar on her cheek. She knows he doesn't pity her; she knows he thinks she's strong. That's probably why she doesn't hate him for flinching away.

Harry looks at her and tells her, "I hate the Carrows."

She laughs a little and shakes her head. There is no point in hating people who won't bother them, or anyone else for that matter, anymore. So she kisses his anger away, and finally, he relaxes by her side.

When she pulls away, there is something like want in his eyes and she laughs heartily.

When, later that evening, they make love, he is so very gentle and she loves him even more for it. He kisses the scar of the cut on her face reverently, and he does the same for those on her hands.

She wakes up the next morning and looks at him, a small smile grazing her lips. It's a peaceful morning, and she can already see, by the light pouring in through the curtains, that this is going a beautiful day. But she doesn't wake him up yet. She takes in his features for a few minutes, and then there's something which resembles sadness that tugs at her heart, so she grazes his lightning scar with her fingers, and he opens his eyes almost immediately.

He turns his head and sees her face, and she can see he wishes he could wipe out every single scar on her body, and most of all, the scar in her soul. Instead, he traces the one that runs through her chest, and she can't help but sigh and giggle at the sensation.

* * *

They don't wait a long time to marry each other. The war might be over, but it's as she once said… _You can never know what happens next, so you might as well enjoy your life while you still have it._

It's kind of her homage to her fallen brother, the way she lives after that. Enjoying every memory, every second. Just like he once did.

* * *

**So... What did you think of this? As I said, I'm quite proud of this one!**


	6. Remus Lupin

**Hello everyone! Sorry for the wait, but here's one of my favorite chapters so far (I feel like every new chapter I write is my new favorite chapter recently!). It's about Remus Lupin, at the end of the First Wizarding War.**

**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling, and nothing is mine beside this story itself. I don't make any money out of this story.**

**.:.**

**Rating of this OS: Between K+ and T, for character deaths and depression (kind of, at the end)**

* * *

_**Those Scars We Carry:**_** Remus Lupin**

He has never really thought about the day his world would come crumbling down at his feet. But it has never come to his mind that it could be this way; his friends dying one by one and his very _best_ friend betraying them all. Betraying him.

* * *

First, it's Marlene McKinnon who leaves them all. It's one quiet evening, and she tells him personally that she has asked Moody for one evening off, to be with her family (she doesn't know him that well, so he takes it as a proof of her trust). He doesn't tell anyone else, but when he quietly talks to Peter that evening, it's like he's hiding something from him.

The next morning, a Patronus arrives into the headquarters, telling them that the McKinnons are all dead. And he feels so guilty, because he thinks that maybe, just maybe, he could have avoided it, if he would have told _someone_.

When he tells Sirius he knew she was going home that night, and he doesn't talk to him for about two weeks after that, he understands.

* * *

Benjy Fenwick is the second one to die. They only ever find his finger, so he thinks he must have died a hero, but this doesn't change the fact that he's _dead_. Remus will never hear his joyous laugh again, he will never see his blue eyes again, shining as he bursts out laughing.

It's stupid, maybe, but he feels like the corridors of the headquarters are not the same anymore now that he is gone.

* * *

Dorcas Meadowes is personally hunted down by You-Know-Who. And she might be a witch of talent, but she doesn't stand a chance against him, and they all know it.

It's not really a surprise when she's found, dead, in the centre of a meadow, after she doesn't show up at the headquarters for two days. It just surprises them that You-Know-Who can be as cruel as this. You don't play with the name of the dead.

* * *

When he finds Edgar Bones and his family, slaughtered in their home, in their sleep, he can't help it. He falls on his knees and cries, because he has never seen this kind of cruelty before. Sirius is with him and he tries not to cry, but when he's found the next morning, he is _so_ drunk, and Remus wonders if it wouldn't be far healthier to just _cry_.

When they bury them one week later, he can see everyone is terribly affected by their deaths. It's a relief for him that James and Sirius and Lily are standing by his side, tall and strong and fierce. Peter, however, is nowhere to be seen, and he wonders in the back of his mind why that is.

* * *

Gideon and Fabian Prewett are the next ones to die. They are found in a backstreet, somewhere, and there are five Death Eaters lying on the ground around them. That's probably why, at their burial, Mad-Eye Moody tells everyone that "they fought like heroes", but they're still dead. The corridors of the headquarters will never ring with their laughter again. The worst is seeing Molly's face. She just looks broken, even as she carries her new-born son in her arms.

* * *

Caradoc Dearborn goes missing six months after the photograph is taken. He's never found, but they all know what it means. _He's dead too_, Remus thinks, and that's when all hope goes out for him.

* * *

And now, he has just learnt that James and Lily were killed the night before, and that Sirius was responsible for their death, and that he had killed Peter! And suddenly, he can't breathe, he can't do anything about it, he can't – he can't.

There are tears streaming down his face and falling on his hands, which are clasped together on his lap. He waits there, like this, he waits and he hopes that the wolf in him will come out, because maybe he will feel better if it does, for once. But it doesn't. And so he continues to stare at the ground, and he just feels so alone. He's the last one of what had once been the Marauders, and it just breaks his heart.

War leaves scars, and the worst of these are in the soul rather than on the body.

* * *

**I hope you did like it as much as I enjoyed writing it (even if I really cried writing it). I'll post the last chapter tomorrow (I hope…).**


	7. Bill Weasley

**Hello everyone! It's me again, with the last chapter of this collection. It's a story about Bill Weasley, but it's more of a Bill / Fleur OS than a story focused solely on Bill, so I hope you will like it anyway! :)**

**One more thing: I hope I wrote Fleur's accent well, and that it is still readable.**

**One _last_ thing: I feel like Bill is completely OOC in this… So please, tell me what you think!**

**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling, nothing is mine. And I don't make any money out of this story.**

**.:.**

**Rating of this OS: K, it's very, _very_ soft!**

* * *

_**Those Scars We Carry:**_** Bill Weasley**

Bill looks at his face in the mirror every morning since the Greyback incident. And he can't help but feel disgusted by himself. It doesn't matter what Fleur and his family and his friends tell him. Now he's just the man with scars on his face.

The only one who could, maybe, understand him is Remus Lupin, and he's too busy with the development of his relationship with Tonks to give him a lot of attention.

His wedding with Fleur is planned to be in a few months, and she has made up her mind: she _wants_ to marry him, and his scars don't matter to her. They _do_ matter to him though. It's not her who hesitates, it's him, and yet, he doesn't tell anyone about his doubts.

* * *

"Are you okay, Bill?" Fleur asks him after lunch, one hot summer day in July.

"Yes, of course, Fleur!" he answers, and maybe he is too enthusiastic, because she just frowns and puts a delicate hand on top of his, stopping him from walking away.

"You don't look okay."

He sighs. It's the first time anyone has really insisted after he's told them off, and it's just… Fleur, and he knows he can't lie to her. So before he can stop himself, he blurts out the question that has been on the tip of his tongue since the incident.

"How can you still want to marry me?" he asks Fleur, and his voice is filled with anguish.

"'Ow can I –" She stops herself before she repeats the entire question, and then she frowns, and she leads him towards the couch where they both sit down. "Bill. You cannot honestly theenk zat your scars will make me stop loving you."

Her voice is a little worried, but before he can reassure her and tell her she isn't the problem, Ginny comes in and interrupts him. However, she just looks at Fleur, then at him, and then back at his fiancée, before she turns around and leaves. His little sister has always understood him very well.

"You're not the problem, Fleur," he says after Ginny is gone. "I still love you, so much, probably more than before the… accident, but I want you to know it's alright if the scars –"

"All these scars show is zat you are brave, Bill. I am not ashamed you will be my 'usband. Not at all. And neither should you."

He shakes his head and continues, and he states the one thing he has been worried about. "Maybe I'll become more dangerous, Fleur."

"I theenk I can 'andle danger on my own, Bill." She's a little more tense now, and she continues, "Remus 'as said that eet ees possible nothing will 'appen to you, Bill, and I want to believe 'im. So please, stop worrying about the future and just… Be 'appy we are all by your side."

She takes his hand and kisses his palm, and he believes her. And he wants to tell her, but before he can utter a single word, she adds, "I am sorry we did not talk about zat before, Bill. Maybe it would 'ave reassured you."

He shakes his head and places a stray strand of her silvery blonde hair behind her ear. And when he tells her "You just have, Fleur", he's never been so honest in his entire life.

* * *

When he sees her down the aisle, he knows he has made the right decision. She is so beautiful and so radiant that it's like she is the only one who exists in the whole world, and he can tell by the way she looks at him (so _adoringly_) that she thinks the same about him.

When he kisses her lightly after they have both said their vows, he feels so loved and so happy, for the first time in months, that the scars on his face don't matter anymore. It's like he's a perfectly normal young man, getting married on a perfectly normal day. And it's all he can ever ask for.

* * *

**This was the last chapter of this little collection, as I said before. I hope you liked it! :)**


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